NYELVI DOMINANCIA VIZSGÁLAT MAGYAR–SZERB ÉS SZLOVÁK–SZERB KÉTNYELVŰEKNÉL BILINGVÁLIS NYELVI PROFIL (BLP) KÉRDŐÍVVEL
ASSESSING LANGUAGE DOMINANCE IN HUNGARIAN-SERBIAN AND SLOVAK-SERBIAN BILINGUALS USING THE BILINGUAL LANGUAGE PROFILE

Summary/Abstract: The paper aims to compare two groups of minority language-majority language bilingual students and employees at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia (23 Hungarian-Serbian individuals and 19 Slovak-Serbian individuals) in an attempt to establish which language is dominant and to explore whether a positive attitude toward L2 correlates most strongly with proficiency in L2, frequency of use, or language history. The research presented here is part of a larger study focusing on the connection between monoligualism/bilingualism and executive functions (see Perovic–Đurđević Filipović, & Halupka-Rešetar, in preparation). The instrument used in this research is Birdsong et al.’s (2012) self-report questionnaire for assessing aspects of language dominance in bilinguals (BLP). This instrument produces a continuous dominance score and a general bilingual profile, which takes into account multiple dimensions, including the age of L1 and L2 acquisition, the frequency and contexts of use, competence in different skills, and attitudes toward each language (see Gertken et al., 2014). The questionnaire also gives an opportunity to calculate the research participants’ Global Language Score and their language dominance index.An independent samples t-test was used, and no significant differences were found on any subscale between the scores of the Hungarian-Serbian and the Slovak-Serbian groups regarding their respective L1. The same was true for Serbian as the L2.Next, paired-samples t-tests were used to compare the mother tongue and the second language in the two groups. In the Hungarian-Serbian group there were significant differences between L1 and L2 with respect to language history, language use, and language attitudes as well as on the Global Language Score, all of which were higher for Hungarian. In the Slovak-Serbian group, none of the subtests showed a significant difference between L1 and L2 (except a borderline value regarding language attitudes).Language attitudes toward L2 were found to correlate with language proficiency in both groups of research participants (rs = .661, p = .001 for the Hungarian-Serbian group and rs = .650, p = .003 in the case of Slovak-Serbian bilinguals). In the Slovak-Serbian group of participants, a positive correlation was observed between L2 language history and L2 attitudes (rs = .610, p = .006), as well as between L2 language use and L2 attitudes (= .753, p < .001).

• Details
• Contents